By
Vincent "Jell-O" Aiello, Retired US Navy Fighter Pilot.
Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.

The Fighter Pilot Podcast explores the fascinating world of air combat: the aircraft, the weapons systems, and most importantly--the people. Each episode features a guest who helps explain the topic at hand such as how ejection seats work or what it's like to fly on and off nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Strap in and hang on for this incredible show! If you love the roar of a high-speed flyby or are enamored by the poise and confidence of the brave men and women who pilot these aircraft, then this show is for you!

47 episodes available.
A new episode about every
9 days
averaging 58 mins duration
.

Few Western aerospace design and manufacturing firms can boast an aircraft so successful that it is flown by every branch of the US military, plus the Coast Guard and dozens of countries, with over 4,000 aircraft being built in dozens of configurations. No, it’s not the Lockheed C-130 Hercules or Bell UH-1 Huey. We’re talking the Sikorsky H-60 ...…

In the early 1960’s the US Navy began a program for a carrier-based attack aircraft to replace the A-4 Skyhawk. Two requirements were specified to ensure a lethal platform at the lowest possible cost: accurate weapons delivery and a design based on an existing aircraft. The Ling-Temco-Vought team’s winning proposal, based on Vought’s F-8 Crusad ...…

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union fielded a formidable navy—both above and below the surface. In response, the United States Navy required a carrier-based, fixed-wing aircraft with long on-station time and an extensive air-to-surface and -subsurface avionics sweet and weapons capability. The result was the twin-turbofan, high-wing ...…

What was it designed to do? What does it do well? What ordnance does it carry? Why does it look the way it does…? …These are a few of the questions retired US Navy lieutenant commander Q “BBQ” Sterling answers while explaining the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet on this, our inaugural ‘aircraft series’ episode. These same questions will b ...…

Just as humans are broadly generalized as Baby Boomers or Millennials, etc., so too are fighter aircraft lumped into categories—only it has less to do when they are born (or what we would call, IOC) and more to do with various capabilities such as speed, maneuverability, avionics, and weaponry. And what’s more—with upgrades, some aircraft chang ...…

Convinced we're alone in the universe? Think everyone who believes in UFOs is a lot like Randy Quaid’s character, Russel, in 20th Century Fox’s original Independence Day? Get ready to entertain doubts after listening to this week’s episode with retired US Navy Commander David “Sex” Fravor (you may recognize him from numerous appearances on the ...…

Some suggest the most difficult job in the military is not the force recon Marine, nuclear reactor officer, fighter pilot, or even Navy SEAL … but rather the military spouse. Independent, resilient, and resourceful, military spouses face challenges beyond that of other professions—except without the formal training. Part nurse, part mechanic, o ...…

If aviation itself is an inherently unforgiving activity, then how much more so naval aviation—which routinely involves formation flying, ship landings, night vision goggle usage and… of course, the enemy? When tragedy strikes—as it frequently does—the US Government cares for family members of the fallen, as well as the parent unit but, inevita ...…

Sweep, point defense, close escort, high-value airborne asset protection… These are just a few of the many air-to-air missions modern US fighter pilots may be required to perform in the course of their duties. Each requires significant pre-mission planning to analyze how various constraints and limitations might affect execution. Here to descri ...…

Taken out of context, Stephen Hawking’s comment, “all we need to do is make sure we keep talking,” does not apply to aerial engagements. In complex and dynamic scenarios with multiple fighter elements on both sides—some closing on each other at well over 1,000 knots—more is not better. Clear, concise, standardized (and minimal) communications a ...…

Advancements in weapons technology and lethality have spawned countermeasures for as long as humans have been warring. With the broadsword came plate armor. For arrows it was shields. And with the advent of radar, infrared tracking, and active missiles—came chaff, flares, and jammers. On this episode, Utah Air National Guard Major Sean “Bauer” ...…

Ever wonder why so many astronauts are (and were) former fighter pilots? Could it be that flight training is good preparation for astronaut training and thus acts as a natural selection process? Maybe. Or it could be that flying fighter jets attracts a certain type of person who enjoys challenges, works well under pressure, handles disorienting ...…

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fly a high-performance military jet fighter but now anyone can enjoy the incredibly realistic air combat simulation platforms available on the market today. From the astonishingly accurate aircraft recreation to the flawless graphics and imagery, air combat simulation is the next best ...…

The Battle of Midway was a decisive US naval victory that turned the tide of World War ll. As a result, the name ‘Midway’ has been assigned to everything from a high school in Texas to an airport in Chicago. It is also the name of the longest serving American aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Today, the USS Midway continues to serve as a mu ...…

There may be a no more lethal or effective fighting unit than the Marine Air Ground Task Force. Comprised of combat Marines on land, in the air, and from the sea, the MAGTF is equally capable massing its formidable firepower to overwhelm and defeat an adversary as applying its vast resources and logistics network to assist in disaster relief an ...…

Jell-O and Sunshine met up in Reno, Nevada with hundreds of other Naval and Marine aviators for the annual Tailhook Convention and Reunion. It was a great time to get together to not only celebrate life but to discuss different pressing matters at the various panels and meetings held over the weekend event. This episode is a compilation of upda ...…

Doctors attend medical school. Attorneys go to law school. …Plumbers acquire the skills of their craft at a plumbing trade school. So where do fighter pilots get their start? Duh. At flight school, of course. The US Air Force and Navy maintain discrete flight schools. While they share some aircraft (i.e. the Beechcraft / Raytheon T-6 Texan II) ...…

Troop transport, MEDEVAC, CSAR, ASW, VERTREP, special operations, ground attack… these are but a few of the many missions rotary-wing aircraft perform for militaries the world over, day in and day out. But how do helicopters even fly? How difficult is it to fly them? Why do most have two pilots? In the event of total power loss can they glide t ...…

Besides notoriety, what do astronaut Alan Shepard, actor Clark Gable, aviatrix Amelia Earhart, and president George H. W. Bush all have in common? Each distinguished him- or herself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Each acted in the face of danger, well above those actions performed by others engaged ...…

No matter how well designed a military aircraft may be, it will always require extensive testing and evaluation to ensure it performs as intended. And even when it does, sometimes unforeseen complications arise—such as when weapons catastrophically collide with the aircraft after release. This too requires extensive testing. But who performs th ...…

Few pilots ever have an opportunity to meet an enemy aircraft in aerial battle. Fewer yet come out victorious. And even fewer still—in fact, only one—then go on to be involved in arguably the most influential pop culture aviation film of all time. That man is retired US Navy Rear Admiral Pete “Viper” Pettigrew. Climb aboard this week’s episode ...…

Military aviators are generally hard-working, improvement-seeking, self-motivated individuals who are accustomed to working well under pressure, on tight deadlines, and with limited budgets. It’s no wonder they typically find follow on success after leaving the service and very few—if any—end up homeless. On this episode, retired US Navy Captai ...…

Just as a viper relies on its venomous fangs and a hornet its stinger to deliver a lethal attack on adversaries, so too do modern combat fighter aircraft depend on guided missiles and cannon fire to engage aerial foes. But what guidance methods do missiles use? How difficult is it to effectively employ the gun on a non-cooperative target? And h ...…

We've all heard 'war is hell.' But this week on the Fighter Pilot Podcast, we hear it from a new perspective: that of a young pilot, new to the fleet and the F/A-18, who finds himself fighting far from home in the fog of war, on the heels of the death of a beloved squadron mate. Climb aboard as retired US Navy Captain Nick "Mongo" Mongillo tell ...…

On this episode, retired US Navy Vice Admiral Mike "Shoe" Shoemaker, whose last tour on active duty was Commander, Naval Air Forces, joins us to discuss the current state and future of naval aviation. We touch on several high-level strategic issues and spend several minutes answering listener questions. Opening and closing bumper music provided ...…

On this episode, US Navy lieutenant commander and former landing signal officer Tra Calisch joins us to wrap up our 5-part mini-series on aircraft carrier operations with a discussion on what is universally agreed upon to be the single most difficult feat of aviation: landing a high performance jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier at night. We a ...…

Meatball – lineup – angle of attack. Nothing matters more to a fixed-wing naval pilot during the final 17 seconds of a landing on an aircraft carrier than those three parameters. But what is a “meatball”? Why is lineup so important and why does it require continuous corrections to maintain? What happens if the landing aircraft’s angle of attack ...…

Landing a high-performance jet aircraft on an aircraft carrier is arguably the most difficult and challenging task any pilot will ever face, and it is what distinguishes US Naval aviators from all other military aircrew. In what effectively amounts to a “controlled crash” onto the flight deck, a 44,000-pound aircraft traveling 140 mph engages a ...…

This week we continue where we left off the previous episode with US Navy Captain Eric Anduze: discussing what the various flight deck jersey colors mean and then how a catapult launch works--including the hardware that makes it possible and what happens in an emergency. If you missed Aircraft Carriers part 1, definitely go back and listen to e ...…

The nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier: the largest, most lethal warship to ever sail the high seas. And the U.S. has eleven of them, each equipped with a myriad of combat aircraft--together they can cover 2/3 of the earth's surface and strike most of the remaining third, all in the name of enforcing freedom of navigation on the world's ...…

We've been at it pretty steadily since launching on January 1st and the kids have been on spring break this past week--so we're taking a little pause from our normal programming routine. However, we didn't want to go completely dark so here are highlights from the two Facebook Live sessions that took place earlier this month. If you already cau ...…

When we observe military aircraft in flight--be it at an airshow or during the flyover of a sporting event--most of us, most of the time, think nothing of the immense behind-the-scenes costs and effort required to make and keep those aircraft flying. From normal servicing and upkeep to the repair or replacement of major aircraft components, the ...…

On May 10, 1972, US Navy lieutenants Randy "Duke" Cunningham and Bill "Willy D" Driscoll launched from the aircraft carrier Constellation in an F-4 Phantom, callsign Showtime 100, on what should have been a "routine" flak suppression mission over North Vietnam. Instead, the strike force was jumped by dozens of enemy fighters and in the ensuing ...…

Ever notice that a B-52 Stratofortress is a bomber, an F-14 Tomcat is a fighter, and a T-45 Goshawk is a trainer? What a coincidence! ...well, not really. And it's also no coincidence either that we call the Chinese J-8 fighter and Russian Tu-160 bomber the FINBACK and BLACKJACK, respectively. On this episode, retired US Navy lieutenant command ...…

TOPGUN – aka the US Navy Fighter Weapons School. An institution that develops and provides graduate-level strike-fighter tactics. Top Gun – A 1986 American romantic military action drama motion picture starring Tom Cruise. Although they may sound the same and the latter is loosely based on the former, the fact is TOPGUN the school and Top Gun t ...…

In this episode, retired US Navy Captain Fitz "Dud" Lee explains how and why military aircraft refuel in flight, and which aircraft are capable of doing so. Why also share a few "sea stories" of how managing aerial tankers is vital to aircraft carrier flight operations.

In this episode we take an in-depth look at ejection seats: a brief history, how they work, how aircrew inspect them before flight, and why--in multi-place aircraft--it is important to have the 'Eject Select' switch in the proper position. Our guest wraps the discussion with a riveting description of the time an ejection seat saved his life fro ...…

On this episode, US Navy Captain Brian “Ferg” Fergusson and I talk callsigns–those whimsical, often juvenile nicknames many military aviators go by instead of their real names when flying and on the ground. Only in the movies do fighter pilots end up with cool callsigns like “Viper”, “Iceman”, or “Maverick”. In the real world, callsigns are gen ...…

In this inaugural episode of The Fighter Pilot Podcast, US Navy Commander Brian “Sunshine” Sinclair and I sit down to answer the question, what is a ‘fighter pilot’? We discuss what a fighter pilot is, some characteristics typical of most fighter pilots, and the various paths to become one. We also debunk cliché Hollywood stereotypes while disc ...…

Welcome to The Fighter Pilot Podcast! In this short initial episode, I introduce myself and explain how and why this show came about. I also describe a few features of the show—expected frequency, length, episode structure, and more. Much of this information can also be found on the website’s About page.…

Loading …

Welcome to Player FM

What if radio played only the shows you care about, when you want? Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcast content right now. Try us out on any web browser — desktop, mobile, or tablet.

Take it with you

Start listening to The Fighter Pilot Podcast on your phone right now with Player FM's free mobile app, the best podcasting experience on both iPhone and Android. Your subcriptions will sync with your account on this website too. Podcast smart and easy with the app that refuses to compromise.

Guides you to smart, interesting podcasts based on category, channel, or even specific topics

Right from the start, I found the experience of using Player FM enjoyable … I’m actually rather surprised this app is free.

Looking for a high-quality podcasts app on Android? Player FM might just be it.

Player FM isn’t just about looks: What sets the app apart from other podcasting applications is its emphasis on discovery.